Sothebys : A Collection of Wine from a Secret Grotto in Northern Europe Opens Sotheby's 2018 London Wine Season

Media Release

For Immediate Release

London | [phone] | Matthew Floris |[e-mail] New York | [phone] | Dan Abernethy |[e-mail]

Hong Kong | [phone] | Winnie Tang |[e-mail]

A Collection of Wine from a Secret Grotto in Northern Europe

Opens Sotheby's 2018 London Wine Season

Sotheby's will open its 2018 London wine auctions on 24 January with an extraordinary single-owner collection which has been stored in a secret grotto hewn by hand from the base of a rock face, located in a particularly beautiful part of Northern Europe. The resulting storage conditions of the cellar were consistently and evenly cool, with good natural humidity - ideal for the health of the wine. The 388-lot auction is estimated to bring a combined total in the region of £825,000.

Serena Sutcliffe, MW, Honorary Chairman, Sotheby's Wine, said: "In the dark days of winter, it takes a treasure trove of truly joyous wines to bring a smile to the face. This collection puts the greatest vinous gems of France under the spotlight. It is clear that the wines were chosen by someone with remarkable gastronomic and wine knowledge, who had access to the best châteaux in Bordeaux."

James Reed, Director, Sotheby's Wine, commented: "One of the joys of being a wine specialist is being admitted to all the different places where clients store their wine. This collection is the first I have ever found in a grotto. The vendor had given me explicit instructions, as well as a map, indicating exactly where I would find it. The entrance itself is at the foot of a sheer rock face; once inside, I was confronted by a bare rock cavern, with smaller chambers branching off at random. Underfoot was bare earth. Scattered about were pallets of wine, plastic wrapped against the damp, neatly and methodically stacked and with the case ends facing outwards to aid identification. To have the opportunity to present such a glorious collection from such great storage and with such strong provenance is undoubtedly a highlight of my 20-year career at Sotheby's."

The heart of the collection covers the two decades from 1990 to 2010, and all the First Growths, including Lafite 1990, Latour 2000 and Margaux 2010 are represented, alongside a host of Super Seconds and other great Left Bank wines, most in original full cases and often in parcel quantities. The Right Bank selection is distinguished by eight vintages of Petrus, as well as Le Pin in all its glory, ranging from the 1989 to no less than four cases of the 2011. There is also a smattering of red Burgundy, Sassicaia and Gaja from Italy, and the rarely-seen-at-auction Condrieu Luminescence from Guigal. The sale ends with highly affordable Roc de Cambes.

HIGHLIGHTS

Red Bordeaux

Le Pin 1989, 9 bottles, est. £16,000-22,000 (175)

Tertre Rôteboeuf 1990, 12 bottles, est. £2,200-2,800 (138)

Haut Brion 1995, 12 bottles, est. £3,400-4,200 (42)

Petrus 1995, 12 bottles, est. £16,000-22,000 (169)

Angélus 1995, 12 bottles, est. £3,000-4,000 (105)

Lafite 1996, 12 bottles, est. £7,800-9,000 (6)

Léoville Barton 1996, 12 bottles, est. £900-1,100 (66)

Cheval Blanc 1999, 12 bottles, est. £3,200-4,000 (114)

Lafite 2000, 3 magnums, est. £6,000-7,500 (9)

Latour 2000, 6 bottles, est. £3,600-4,400 (25)

Mouton Rothschild 2000, 1 double magnum, est. £4,600-6,000 per lot (51-53)

Margaux 2000, 3 magnums, est. £3,200-4,000 (30)

Le Pin 2000, 2 magnums, est. £9,200-13,000 (176)

Léoville Las Cases 2000, 12 bottles, est. £2,000-2,600 (72)

Mouton Rothschild 2002, 6 bottles, est. £1,800-2,400 per lot (56-59)

Margaux 2002, 12 bottles, est. £3,000-3,800 per lot (32-34)

Lafite 2003, 12 bottles, est. £7,500-8,500 (16)

Ausone 2003, 12 bottles, est. £7,000-9,000 (111)

Le Tertre Rôteboeuf 2005, 6 bottles, est. £1,200-1,500 per lot (149-156)

Le Pin 2005, 6 bottles, est. £12,000-15,000 per lot (179-181)

Vieux Château Certan 2005, 12 bottles, est. £1,500-2,000 per lot (193-196)

Pontet Canet 2009, 12 bottles, est. £1,700-2,200 (285-286)

Margaux 2010, 6 bottles, est. £2,800-3,400 (265-272)

Le Pin 2010, 6 bottles, est. £14,000-18,000 (349-351)

White Rhône

Condrieu, Luminescence 1999, Guigal, 12 half bottles, est. £360-480 per lot (215-218)

Italy

Sorì Tildin 1997, Gaja, 10 bottles, est. £2,000-2,600 (225)

Sassicaia 1999, Tenuta San Guido, 12 bottles, est. £1,600-2,200 (220) Sassicaia 2000, Tenuta San Guido, 12 bottles, est. £1,600-2,200 (224)

Abridged versions of introductions by Serena Sutcliffe, MW - for full introductions, please see cataloguehere

Lafite: Lafite combines elegance, breed and scent with sustained power, a miracle of balance and nobility. The extraordinary terroir and position in Pauillac have always been matched by the Rothschilds' sense of quality and vision, resulting in a wine that has mythical status. Lafite matures slowly, developing gloriously with bottle age, as historic tastings have shown.

Latour: The power and glory of Latour are undisputed. The consistency of Latour, due to its fabulous gravel soil, great situation near the Gironde and a succession of inspired winemakers, is unrivalled. Latour is famous for producing impressive wine in more modest vintages, but it knows how to seize great vintages and make them monuments.

Margaux: Château Margaux is the most imposing building of all the First Growths, its neo-classical elegance reflected in the sheer aristocratic bearing of the wines. The Mentzelopoulos régime wines are unerringly consistent in quality, often topping the charts against the toughest opposition. There is weight and depth, added to the breed and class that come from this fabulous terroir.

Haut Brion: My overriding impression of this stunning First Growth is that it is the silkiest, most perfumed, most fine-grained of all the legendary top châteaux of Bordeaux. Its unique position on the edge of the city of Bordeaux gives it a micro-climate that fosters ripeness and generosity - there is a velvety warmth to the wine. Haut Brion often blooms early among the First Growths but, unlike human beings, it continues to grow more beautiful in middle age and retains the bone structure and elegance of a very distinguished old age!

Mouton Rothschild: Mouton, as it is affectionately known by all its devotees, is the most opulent and exuberant of all the Firsts, a reflection of the two huge personalities that have headed the Château since 1920, Baron Philippe and then Baroness Philippine de Rothschild. The great cassis depths of this wine seduce everyone who appreciates the finest Bordeaux. It is a gloriously forceful, flamboyant wine, voluptuous and powerful.

Petrus: The very word Petrus creates a "frisson" unlike any other wine name. Petrus does not taste like other Bordeaux - it is not "classic" but stupendously original, full of oriental spice box flavours which unfold endlessly. A one-off wine that inhabits a world of its own and, of course, a rarity due to its small (11.5 hectares) size.

Le Pin: A phenomenon since it burst upon the scene in 1979, Le Pin is a product of the plateau of Pomerol, predominantly clay soil, the Merlot grape, new oak, low yields and the skills and perfectionism of the Thienpont family. Demand for Le Pin runs to all four corners of the world, a wine with a truly international profile.

Images are available to downloadhere

Notes to Editors

Sotheby's Wine auctions in 2017 brought a worldwide total of $64 million. Sotheby's overall total of $88.27 million for global wine auctions in 2010 is the highest in the company's forty-seven years of wine auctions.

The Lafite Ex Cellars sale held by Sotheby's in Hong Kong in October 2010 set a new record for a single standard sized bottle at auction when a bottle of Château Lafite 1869 sold for $232,692. This means that Sotheby's now holds the world records for a standard bottle, a bottle in any format - the Jeroboam of Château Mouton Rothschild 1945 which fetched $310,700 in February 2007 in New York - and any wine lot at auction - the Romanée-Conti Superlot (114 bottles) which sold for HK$12,556,250 (US$1,609,776) at Sotheby's Hong Kong in October 2014.

Sotheby's holds the record for a wine collection sold at auction. Wines from the Cellar of William I. Koch (New York, 19-21 May 2016) brought a total of $21.9 million, with 100% lots sold.

Between 2009 and October 2011 Sotheby's Hong Kong maintained 16 consecutive 100%-sold wine auctions in Asia - the only major auction house with this record.

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*Estimates do not include buyer's premium. Prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer's premium and are net of any fees paid to the purchaser where the purchaser provided an irrevocable bid.

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